Exercises to Tone From a Large Weight Loss

Losing even a few pounds is tough, so a large weight loss is something to be proud of. Your body is drastically different from what it was and every activity you do from now on is going to feel different. Now the focus is toning your muscles for a firmer physique. To do this, begin a resistance training program.

  1. Resistance Training Recommendations

    • The American College of Sports Medicine recommends doing resistance training exercises two or three times per week on nonconsecutive days. Do one to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions for each exercise you perform. Rest 30 to 90 seconds in between sets to allow your muscles a brief recovery. Choose eight to 10 exercises, one for each major muscle group of your body. Change the exercises every six to eight weeks to prevent boredom and a fitness plateau.

    Sample Workout

    • Start your workout by warming up for five to 10 minutes on a cardio machine, such as the treadmill. Perform a cable pulldown for your back. Then move onto a mat on the floor and perform push-ups while resting on either your knees or toes for your chest. Stand up and with your feet hip-to-shoulder-width apart, perform a squat for your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. Grab a set of dumbbells and press them up over head in a dumbbell shoulder press. Hold the dumbbells and move on to a walking lunge for your hips and thighs. Stand up and hold a dumbbell in both hands over your head. Lower them down behind your head and lift them back up for an overhead extension for your triceps. Step on a platform and raise your body up and down on your toes for your calves. With the dumbbells, perform a set of bicep curls. Finish your workout on the mat with basic crunches and reverse crunches for your abs.

    Advancing Your Program

    • Start with just one or two sets of each exercise. After two to three weeks, add a set and build up to three total sets for each exercise. Once you can do 12 reps, increase the weight slightly so that the exercise is challenging again. You can also try a circuit. In a circuit you move quickly from one exercise to the next with little to no rest in between each. Perform every exercise for up to 12 reps and then move to the next. This will keep your heart rate up and it will not only challenge your endurance, it will also build strength. Do the circuit up to three times.

    Keep Up the Cardio

    • You need to keep up your cardio in order to maintain your new weight. Perform cardio at least five to seven days each week for 30 to 60 minutes. Now that you weigh less, try more challenging activities. For example, add jogging intervals to your walk and slowly increase the time you jog until your whole workout involves only jogging. Walk only for your warm-up and cool-down. Instead of a cycle machine, try a group cycling class for a more intense workout.